Southern stories: How do you define home, community, justice and joy
Welcome back to The American South. If you missed our inaugural newsletter, you can catch up here. This week, I wanted to talk about definitions. As a writer, I love to know the meaning behind the meaning and get to the root of a word. I've been thinking lately about the words: home, community, justice and joy.
In the Get to know us section, where I share archive stories, I wanted to explore the word home and connect it to our most recent work. What does it mean to have one and be displaced from one?
Get to know us
Members of the Isle de Jean Charles band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe face a dilemma. Over time, the land they call home has been disappearing beneath the waves. The state of Louisiana has purchased land as a site for a new community. This is the state’s first attempt at climate change resettlement. But it goes beyond the land. Tribe members must consider how to preserve their traditions and culture if they leave their home behind. You can read the full story here.
In American South news : Discussing home
As a Southerner, is there anything that can evoke a sense of home quite like food? The American South recently spoke to Lisa Donovan about her new memoir “Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger.” Donovan shares the way in which food is a connection to our senses and how baking has given her a sense of community and certainty in the most uncertain of times. She says in part: "Our memories are so hardwired to what we eat and what we smell and what we taste." Read the full story here.
How does language connect us to home?
In New Orleans, traditional dialects are as distinctive and colorful as the city’s architecture. But since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, some believe the city doesn’t just look different — it sounds different, too. Take a closer look at how the dialects have changed over time in this story by Andrew Yawn.
What does community mean to you?
- Take what you need and leave what you can : These community fridges are popping up in New Orleans and Nashville to support people during difficult times. You can read more here.
In Mississippi, some barbers are expanding the definition of community through mental health training that allows them to increase support for men in the Black community. They are fostering community through listening in a place that often feels like home— the barbershop.
In Knoxville, Tenn., this all-female group is working together to help close the wealth gap in the Black community. Read about how these women are collaborating to inspire change & support Black entrepreneurs in growing their businesses.
At a Kroger grocery store in Nashville, one woman found hope during homelessness. LaShenda needed a stable income and found community with a welcoming store manager, coworkers who helped to furnish her apartment and the smiles of customers who have come to know her inspiring story of overcoming addiction, abandonment and abuse. Now she says with pride, "never let anyone steal your joy."
Speaking of joy, have you explored "Jubilee?" Toni Tipton-Martin combed through close to 400 rare, historic cookbooks to forge a new definition of African American food. The story she tells stretches through our country's history and touches every region. Earlier in the year, she sat down with The American South's Todd A. Price to discuss her book, which is now a 2020 James Beard Award winner.
In the piece, Todd asks Toni: Why have we historically overlooked the contributions of professional Black chefs, focusing instead more on African American home cooking? It's a great question with a poignant response.
You can read the full interview with Toni Tipton-Martin here.
What's the South talking about?
Don't miss our top reads. Every Thursday we share stories from our coverage area, which includes: Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. Click here!
Social Justice in the South
- The new head of the police union in Memphis, Tenn., says she aims to bridge the gap between police and the community.
- Activists in Lafayette, La. rise up as leading voices of a new protest movement following a fatal police shooting of Trayford Pellerin.
- Will Asheville, N.C. really defund its police? You can follow that story here.
We promise, this will warm your heart
From our partners at HumanKind : Breast cancer survivor Lisa Chesson was medically unable to donate her kidney to her toddler, but then a 21-year-old she barely knew signed up to help him. You can see the heartwarming video here.
Have a thought? Reach out. I'm here to listen: theamericansouth@gannett.com
Ashley Hopkinson
Editor, The American South